


Christmas Kisses

by SakuraMacarons



Category: Grand Stage
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/F, kissing under the mistletoe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 21:19:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9028684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraMacarons/pseuds/SakuraMacarons
Summary: While decorating for Christmas, Eru learns that the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe isn't something well-known in Japan. Finding this opportunity too good to pass up, she takes it upon herself to introduce her friends to the concept. Not only is it fun for her, but it also gives her friends and their partners a sweet taste of holiday romance.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Since (to my understanding) kissing under the mistletoe isn't really a Christmas tradition in Japan, I thought it would be fun to take advantage of Eru having lived in New York to introduce the idea to the characters and write their reactions to it while indulging in some cliché holiday fluff. I do plan to write chapters for the other characters, but I don't know when I'll get around to it.
> 
> Also, because the musumeyaku partners are silent heroines portrayed by the listeners, they have no names. Shiori is simply my OC based on and built around the heroine specific to Ryoya's CDs.

“Kazamiya, what are you doing?”

Completely unperturbed by the sharp voice that cut over her cheerful rendition of ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’, Eru continued her task and waved a free hand over her shoulder in greeting to who she assumed was only Ryoya. “Decorating for Christmas,” she answered, traces of a smile evident in her voice. “Danchou said it was okay.” Actually, because she had lived in the United States, he had specifically enlisted her help to give Grand Stage a festive makeover unlike any they had seen over the last several years, but she wasn’t going to tell Ryoya that.

Finally turning to face her fellow otokoyaku, the smile on Eru’s face morphed into a pleased grin when she saw that Ryoya was in fact not alone, but accompanied by her very cute partner. “Shiori!” she happily exclaimed. She rushed forward to wrap the girl in a friendly hug, but was stopped short when Ryoya cleared her throat. Not missing a beat, she continued with, “I didn’t know you were here too. You should have said something.”

“I’m sorry, Kazamiya-san, I was a little distracted by how sparkly you are,” Shiori admitted with a quiet laugh. “And it looked like you were having so much fun; I didn’t want to disturb you. What did you just hang in the doorway?”

Eru, who was indeed very sparkly with strings of tinsel draped over her shoulders, followed the musumeyaku’s gaze to the lone plant hanging down from the doorframe. “Mistletoe.”

“Mistletoe?” Ryoya repeated in confusion. “Why?”

“You don’t…” Eru started, but then trailed off as an intriguing thought occurred to her. “It’s a tradition to hang mistletoe in America. You know, kind of like hanging stockings over the fireplace for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.”

At Ryoya’s and Shiori’s uncomprehending looks, Eru had to bite back a smile as her previous thought transformed into a most devious scheme.

“What is it?” Ryoya snapped, apparently having noticed the slight change in Eru’s demeanor from curious to smug.

“It’s nothing,” Eru quickly replied, “I was just thinking how nice it is that I actually know something you don’t.”

“What did you--!”

“Ryoya-san,” Shiori gently said, attempting to play mediator between the two. “I think Kazamiya-san just means that it’s refreshing to be the one who has to explain the cultural difference for once.”

“Yep, that’s right!” Eru chimed in, clinging to the lifeline Shiori had thrown her. It wasn’t quite right, but Shiori was such an unassuming person that it was only natural for her to reach that conclusion. And it seemed to pacify Ryoya for the time-being, so Eru was more than willing to just go with it.

“Well, if that’s all,” Ryoya began, an edge of irritation leaving her words clipped, “Shiori and I need to pass through that door you’re blocking.”

As if she hadn’t noticed she was in their way, Eru’s eyes widened in feigned surprise. “Sorry, sorry!” she noisily apologized, only mostly keeping up the act. Part of her really was afraid of Ryoya when she became so intense and scary. Eru had to wonder how Shiori put up with it all the time. “But umm…” she hesitated, not yet having moved, “Can you two help me before you go?”

“Sure thing,” Shiori quickly answered, preventing Ryoya from flat out refusing to help her friend. “We do need to be somewhere very soon, so we can’t take too long.”

“Nope! It won’t take long at all,” Eru reassured them, “I just need you to stand here in the doorframe for a few seconds. I want to make sure the mistletoe isn’t hanging too low.”

“If that’s all, then it should be okay, right, Ryoya-san?” Shiori tentatively asked, innocently looking up at her partner.

For a moment, Ryoya considered her options; she could trust that uneasy sense of skepticism that said Kazamiya’s harmless favor was not all it appeared to be, or she could give into Shiori who naively took her request at face-value.

But already knowing what her inevitable response would be, she wasted little time and gave in with a sigh, “I’m really too soft,” she said, pointedly fixing her eyes on the sweetly-smiling Shiori. “Fine, Kazamiya, we’ll help.” She added with a sigh, casting a brief glance in the other otokoyaku’s direction.

“Yes! Thank you!” Eru cheered, unable to hide how victorious she was feeling.

Scurrying out of their way, she watched as the two started for the doorway – Ryoya wordlessly holding out her hand, and Shiori unhesitatingly taking it. They really were helping set the mood all on their own, and Eru couldn’t be happier.

Well, actually she could…

Just as they found themselves under the mistletoe, both women paused and glanced up at the festive decoration. There was no danger of it obstructing the path of someone short like Shiori, and even for Ryoya, who was one of the taller otokoyaku, it wasn’t in the way.

“Is that it?” Ryoya asked, meeting Eru’s gaze over her shoulder. Suspicion still prickled at the back of her mind, but she was reluctantly giving her the benefit of a doubt.

“Perfect!” Eru enthusiastically confirmed, flashing a thumbs-up sign, “But there’s just one more thi—“

“Kaza—“

“One! Just one!” she insisted, raising her voice to be heard over the oncoming reprimand.

Ryoya scowled. She was visibly irritated with herself for not going with her gut instinct, with Eru for sneakily neglecting to mention there was more, and even a little with Shiori for her blind faith that everyone has good intentions. There was no reason why they had to stay and even listen to whatever nonsense was coming next. But just as she was about to tug Shiori along, the musumeyaku gave her hand a placating squeeze, and though it did nothing to sway her temper, she remained where she stood to hear Kazamiya out.

Eru didn’t know what kind of magic Shiori possessed to quiet the usually disagreeable Ryoya, but when they had turned to her without any further complaining, she took that as her signal to go ahead.

“So I forgot to mention—“

Unapologetically, Ryoya openly scoffed – expressing just how much she didn’t believe her.

“Like I was saying,” Eru continued, a little louder than before, “When two people stand under the mistletoe together, it’s tradition for them to kiss.”

Face flushed, words seemed to fail Ryoya as she struggled against the sudden flood of heated emotions making their way through her veins. Seeing Kazamiya grinning at her cheekily only served to further agitate her, and it took all of her quickly-slipping self-control to keep from reaching out and shaking her.

“Do you think I’m stupid, Kazamiya?” Ryoya at last managed, her question uncomfortably chilling.

“No!” Eru reflexively answered, stepping back and holding her hands up as if shielding herself from Ryoya’s anger. It was the exact opposite of that; Eru both respected her as a performer and admired her as an otokoyaku.

“You don’t actually expect me to believe something so ridiculous, do you?” The edge that had previously been in her voice dulled, but Ryoya no longer made a secret of her suspicion.

“It’s true,” Eru insisted, taking out her cell phone. “People kiss under the mistletoe.” After a few seconds, she held out her phone for Ryoya to see. “Look.”

It was just as Kazamiya had said; the picture on the screen was of a couple at some sort of holiday party holding each other and kissing under the mistletoe. As she looked at the picture (and the few after it), Ryoya became increasingly aware that she may not have been so much angry as she was embarrassed.

“You should be thanking me,” Eru was saying as she pocketed her cell phone. “I’m like your personal Christmas cupid. Now you have a reason to kiss Shiori.”

“Hold on a second!” Ryoya exclaimed, warmth rushing back into her face. Since when had kissing Shiori become any of Eru’s business? The last thing she needed was help from anyone deciding when she wanted to kiss her. Opening her mouth to say just as much, she was cut off before she even began to speak.

“You don’t want to?”

Immediately, whatever she meant to say next died in her throat upon hearing those words. The question itself was not so unexpected, but that it was Shiori asking had surprised her.

Shiori, who had not said a single word after Eru revealed the purpose of mistletoe, had her eyes focused only on her partner. Her gaze slowly drifted up to the mistletoe above them and then returned back to Ryoya’s face – deliberately tracing the curve of her cheek before resting on her lips. She had fond memories of kissing those lips; whether they kissed as their characters or as Ryoya and Shiori, each experience was something to treasure. But as much as she valued those times, sweeter still were the moments when they were simply Mizuki and Natsuki sharing kisses away from the world’s prying eyes.

“I never said that!” Ryoya raised her voice defensively. It made her uncomfortable to be under such obvious scrutiny while Kazamiya was still standing there watching them. Just because she was a performer didn’t mean she wanted to put her private life on display for an audience – even if it was an audience of one, and that one happened to be her friend and colleague.

Luckily, Eru had enough sense to read the atmosphere and took that as her cue to get out of there. So without a word, she excused herself and disappeared around a nearby corner.

“What? Do you want me to kiss you?” Ryoya coolly asked, the tension from before having all but subsided. Without anyone else around, she managed to regain most of her composure, though Shiori’s lingering gaze made her feel strangely uneasy.

It seemed that was enough to stir Shiori from her reverie as a light pink blush bloomed in her cheeks. Embarrassedly, she tore her gaze from Ryoya’s lips and shyly peeked  up at her. She could tell that Ryoya had calmed considerably, but still, she was unsure how to answer her. Of course she wanted Ryoya to kiss her, but not if some silly Christmas tradition was going to make it feel unnatural and forced…

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she replied, disheartened. She couldn’t even maintain eye contact with her – not wanting Ryoya to see the naked disappointment in her face.

Taken aback by Shiori’s sullen disposition, Ryoya almost demanded to know why she was suddenly being so difficult. But she didn’t. She realized just in time that if she spoke without thinking, they would likely argue, and nothing good would come of it. Besides, she already had her answer in Shiori’s dejected posture and the way she avoided meeting her eyes. She did want a kiss under the mistletoe; it was just she thought Ryoya didn’t.

“Shiori.” softly, Ryoya called her name with a tenderness that had been absent until that moment. But when Shiori didn’t respond to her voice, she patiently continued, “Look at me.” Slipping two fingers beneath her chin, she gently tilted her face up so that they were once again looking into each other’s eyes. “I want to.” There was nothing defensive or guarded in the way Ryoya spoke; the honesty in her voice was practically tangible, and her sincerity cleared away the troubled expression from Shiori’s face – replacing it with a smile glowing with warmth and fondness.

Placing her hand on the small of Shiori’s back, Ryoya drew her in a little closer – delighting in the subtle way she leaned into her arm for support. She didn’t know if Shiori was even aware of that habit, but she knew if she brought it up, she’d become self-conscious about it whenever Ryoya would go to hold her. No, she was already too much endeared to the little quirk to risk losing it, and Shiori subconsciously relying on her filled her with an insatiable desire to always be the one to take care of her.

The light brush of a hand against her arm interrupted her thoughts and Ryoya smiled down at Shiori before reaching up and caressing her cheek. “So impatient,” she mused, delicately running her thumb along the musumeyaku’s bottom lip. Seeing her blush in reaction to her touch made Ryoya want to tease her more, but when she caught sight of her pouting, she relented, leaning forward and gifting her with a kiss.

It began as such an innocent and simple gesture – Ryoya intending it to be a chaste and fleeting reunion between their mouths. But when Shiori’s hand came to rest on her back, it was as if the warmth of her fingertips sent currents of electricity through her entire body. Shiori must have felt it too as Ryoya had to wrap an arm around her shoulders when it seemed like her knees were about to give out beneath her. But even then, they didn’t pull away. Shiori was compliant – eagerly returning the kiss to prevent it from coming to an end so soon. Urged on by her enthusiasm, Ryoya took her time appreciating just how soft Shiori’s lips were against hers. And as she traced the outline of her mouth, she could taste the faintest hints of lavender cream from the macaron Shiori had been eating earlier. She could remember in vivid detail how cute and delighted she looked tasting it for the first time, and it had taken all her self-control not to lean across the table and kiss her right then and there. So she was making up for that time lost – conveying with the intensity of their kiss how much she had been wanting her. And when Shiori swept her tongue over Ryoya’s bottom lip to ask for permission to deepen the kiss, Ryoya was quick to oblige – promptly following her lead.

Neither of them knew how long the kiss had lasted, but when they finally separated, breathless and hearts pounding, they were both satisfied. Shiori’s arm was around Ryoya’s waist and her hand rested on her hip, and Ryoya had comfortably pulled Shiori into the crook of her arm where she contentedly snuggled into her shoulder. They stayed in silence like that for a while – catching their breaths and enjoying each other’s company. Ryoya let her eyes drift close and leaned her cheek against the top of Shiori’s head – inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. It was such a peaceful moment and…

“You two had me so worried!”

…And it was ruined.

“Well, mostly you, Ryoya.”

When she opened her eyes, the first thing Ryoya saw was Eru smirking at her from the spot she had been standing in before she had left. Apparently hoping that she had really wandered off to decorate other parts had been too much to ask for, and instead, she had witnessed, from beginning to end, their kiss scene unfold. “Kazamiya…” she sighed exasperated, but then suddenly looked affronted as the previous statement registered. “What do you mean ‘mostly you’?”

“No, never mind,” Eru deflected the question with a smile and halfhearted shrug. She wasn’t about to get Ryoya all worked up again, not when she and Shiori were both so happy. “Don’t you have somewhere to be right now?” she quickly asked when it seemed like Ryoya wasn’t about to let it go so easily.

As if Eru’s words had shoved them both back into reality, Shiori and Ryoya flew apart – putting an end to the touching moment they shared. While Shiori looked guilty and embarrassed, Ryoya seemed to be torn between embarrassment and irritation over getting caught up in that moment. Regardless of her feelings, she quickly managed to regain control of herself, and the serious, hard-working perfectionist side of her was back in place.

“This is what happens when we let ourselves get distracted,” she was saying, taking Shiori’s hand and guiding her through the doorway. For the briefest of seconds, she glanced up at the mistletoe – finding that she simultaneously appreciated and loathed that ridiculous kissing tradition. “We’re going to work twice as hard to make up for all the time we wasted here. Do you understand?” Though her words were stern, her scolding tone lacked the conviction it usually held.

“Yes, Ryoya-san,” Shiori answered happily.

Eru couldn’t make out anything after that as their voices continued to fade as they moved away. She still didn’t understand their relationship, but having the chance to see their bond first-hand at least convinced her they were truly meant for each other. Slipping her cell phone out of her pocket, she brought up the picture she recently took, and smiled. The look softening Ryoya’s features as she held Shiori against her was unquestionably love, and Eru thought it suited her much more than the harsh expressions she normally wore, but of course, she’d never tell Ryoya that. She would, however, ask her own girlfriend if she had Shiori’s cell number so she could send her the picture; as in love with Ryoya as she was, she deserved to see it. And maybe, just maybe, Ryoya wouldn’t kill her for taking the picture when she, too, finally saw it.

“Danchou was right,” Eru mused to herself with a laugh, “Grand Stage needs more love in the air this holiday season.”

**Author's Note:**

> translation: Danchou = Leader (In this case, the head of the Grand Stage theater company.)


End file.
